Sunday, February 16, 2020

Book Review - Courting Mr. Emerson by Melody Carlson



Photo Credit - Amazon


Willow West is a gallery owner who is spontaneous and loves to have fun. When she crosses path with George Emerson, who is a button-up retired English teacher, she wasn't sure what to think of him.  However, she finds George interesting and wants him to loosen up and enjoy life.  While trying to make George embrace life, she finds herself falling for him.

George straddles the line of being irritated and attracted to Willow. He thinks Willow is around to often but, he misses her when she isn't around. George isn't interested in making new friends or trying new things as it hurts when you lose people you care about.

I thought the novel was an interesting premise. I thought both characters were flawed but, continue to grow and learn throughout their relationship. I did get annoyed during some parts of the novel, where they both accused each other of overstepping their bounds but, they both do the same thing.  They try to make the other person happy without actually considering the person's feelings. I also, felt like George and Willow were the most developed characters. I felt like the daughter and grandson felt forced and their conversations didn't feel authenticate. Another example, George knows he is closed off but, he becomes dismayed when his retirement party didn't have a big turnout.  This book wasn't my favorite by the author but, I will continue to read her novels.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Saturday, February 15, 2020

Book Review - Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez


Photo Credit - Amazon

Serving as a decoy Condesa, an Illustrian royal is all Ximena knows. She lost everything, including her family when Atoc, used an ancient relic to summon ghosts to gain control of La Ciudad from the Illustrians. Ximena's revenge is fueled by the grief of losing her loved ones. She decides to use her rage to seek vengeance against Atoc utilizing her rare ability to make thread from the moonlight.

When Atoc demands Condesa's hand in marriage, Ximena goes in place of the real Condesa, in hopes to find a way to end the war. She decides to become a spy and try to locate Atoc's deadly weapon for her cause to return the rightful Condesa to the throne. However, when she spends time with the inhabitants of the court, her mission becomes complicated. 

I thought the novel had an interesting premise and I enjoyed Ximena's ability. At first, I thought weaving moonlight was silly but, as the novel progressed I thought it was pretty cool.  I thought the novel was an enjoyable read but, the first half of the novel was very boring and slow.  I am interested in reading more books in the series (hopefully!).

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Friday, February 14, 2020

Book Spotlight - The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh by Candace Fleming + Giveaway


Photo Credit - Amazon



About the Book:
Title: THE RISE AND FALL OF CHARLES LINDBERGH
Author: Candace Fleming
Pub. Date: February 11, 2020
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
Pages: 384
Find it: GoodreadsAmazon, KindleAudibleB&NiBooks, KoboTBD

SIX STARRED REVIEWS!

Discover the dark side of Charles Lindbergh--one of America's most celebrated heroes and complicated men--in this riveting biography from the acclaimed author of The Family Romanov .

First human to cross the Atlantic via airplane; one of the first American media sensations; Nazi sympathizer and anti-Semite; loner whose baby was kidnapped and murdered; champion of Eugenics, the science of improving a human population by controlled breeding; tireless environmentalist. Charles Lindbergh was all of the above and more. Here is a rich, multi-faceted, utterly spellbinding biography about an American hero who was also a deeply flawed man. In this time where values Lindbergh held, like white Nationalism and America First, are once again on the rise, The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh is essential reading for teens and history fanatics alike.

About Candace:
Candace Fleming awarded herself the Newbery Medal in fifth grade after scraping the gold sticker off the class copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond and pasting it onto her first novel—a ten-page, ten-chapter mystery called Who Done It? She’s been collecting awards (her own, not Elizabeth George Speare’s) ever since.

Today, Candace is the versatile and acclaimed author of more than forty books for children and young adults, including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize honored The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of the Russian Empire; Boston Globe/Horn Book Award-winning biography, The Lincolns; the bestselling picture book, Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!; the Sibert-Award-winning Giant Squid; and the beloved Boxes for Katje. She contributed the chapter on Katharine of Aragon to Fatal Throne. Photo credit: Michael Lionstar.



Giveaway Details:

3 winners will win a signed finished copy of THE RISE AND FALL OF CHARLES LINDBERGH, US Only.

Rafflecopter link:


Tour Schedule:
Week One:
2/3/2020
Excerpt
2/4/2020
Interview
2/5/2020
Review
2/6/2020
Review
2/7/2020
Review

Week Two:
2/10/2020
Excerpt
2/11/2020
Interview
2/12/2020
Review
2/13/2020
Review
2/14/2020
Review


Thursday, February 13, 2020

Book Review - Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

Amaya is a captive on a debtor ship when she sees a stranger drowning. When she attempts to save the stranger, she is afraid her good deed will cost her a longer sentence.  The man Amaya saves offers her money and a new identity to start a new life with the chance of revenge. When accepting the man's offer, Amaya must travel to Moray, where riches and deception intertwine with each other.

Amaya only cares about getting revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole her chance at a normal life. As Amaya's plan progresses, her faith becomes intertwined with the son of the man she's trying to ruin. The more Amaya digs into her past, the more she realizes she can't trust anyone.

I thought the novel was an engaging and fun read. The author did a wonderful job building the world and making me feel like I transported there. The novel is billed as a retelling of "The Count of Monte Cristo" but, I haven't read it but, know vaguely of the story.  I found the story to an enjoyable read with a diverse cast of characters. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

 
About The Book:

Title: SCAVENGE THE STARS (Scavenge the Stars #1)
Author: Tara Sim
Pub. Date: January 7, 2020
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
Pages: 336

When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide.
Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception—and as her path intertwines with the son of the man she’s plotting to bring down—the more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she realizes she must trust no one…

Packed with high-stakes adventure, romance, and dueling identities, this gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo is the first novel in an epic YA fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo.



Tara Sim is the author of SCAVENGE THE STARS (Disney-Hyperion) and the TIMEKEEPER trilogy (Sky Pony Press) and writer of all things magic. She can often be found in the wilds of the Bay Area, California.

When she’s not writing about mischievous boys in clock towers, Tara spends her time drinking tea, wrangling cats, and occasionally singing opera. Despite her bio-luminescent skin, she is half-Indian and eats way too many samosas.

Tara is represented by Victoria Marini at Irene Goodman Literary Agency.


Revenge. It was a simple word when spoken out loud, but it was so much bigger, like the hidden city under the atoll. It was a word of fire and blood, of a knife’s whisper and the priming of a pistol.

It was a word that consumed her, filled her entire being until she knew that she could no longer be Silverfish. Silverfish’s will was to survive, to simply make it to the next day, and hopefully the day after that. But that was no longer her will.

Now it was revenge.

Captain Zharo. Kamon Mercado. Moray.

They would all pay.

Giveaway Details:
3 winners will receive a finished copy of SCAVENGE THE STARS, US only.
Giveaway ends February 14th at midnight EST.

Rafflecopter link:

Tour Schedule:
Week One:

1/13/2020
Excerpt
1/14/2020
Review
1/15/2020
Review
1/16/2020
Review
1/17/2020
Excerpt

Week Two:
1/20/2020
Review
1/21/2020
Review
1/22/2020
Review
1/23/2020
Review
1/24/2020
Review

Week Three:
1/27/2020
Review
1/28/2020
Excerpt
1/29/2020
Review
1/30/2020
Review
1/31/2020
Review

Week Four:
2/3/2020
Review
2/4/2020
Review
2/5/2020
Review
2/6/2020
Review
2/7/2020
Review

Week Five:
2/10/2020
Review
2/11/2020
Review
2/12/2020
Review
2/13/2020
Review
2/14/2020
Review